Nuclear fuel rods are used to generate electrical power, and provide an attractive alternative to the generation of electrical power from fossil fuels. Nuclear fuel rods can be utilized to create a nuclear reaction that may be used to heat water, generating steam to drive a turbine. The turbine may be coupled to a generator, thereby producing electrical energy. Over time, the nuclear fuel rods may become “spent,” and may no longer be useful to sustain a nuclear reaction. While no longer able to sustain a useful nuclear reaction, the nuclear fuel rods may continue to produce heat that must be dissipated and may emit radiation that must be contained.
Conventionally, these spent nuclear fuel rods may be kept within a storage pool for a period of time while residual heat from the spent nuclear fuel rods is dissipated. This is sometimes referred to as “wet storage” of the spent nuclear fuel rods. The storage pools are typically located within a nuclear facility, and space within the storage pools may be limited. Once the spent nuclear fuel rods have sufficiently cooled, the spent nuclear fuel rods may be removed from the storage pool and placed within a fuel storage cask for “dry storage.”
Conventional fuel storage casks may include cooling vents that allow ambient air to draw heat away from the fuel storage cask via convection, which assists in maintaining the fuel storage cask at an operable temperature. However, these vents may become blocked by foreign objects such as debris, which may restrict the flow of ambient air, thereby reducing the amount of heat drawn away from the fuel storage cask. In some circumstances, blockages of the vents may necessitate that fuel cask and/or the fuel rods within the fuel cask be moved to a storage pool to prevent the fuel rods from overheating and degrading the fuel cask. Accordingly, the vents may require periodic inspection and maintenance to ensure that the fuel storage cask is maintained at an operable temperature, which may increase operating costs.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative fuel storage casks and cooling systems for fuel storage casks including a self-contained cooling system.